Literature
Autistic People and Their Emotional Expression: Can They Cry?
Autistic People and Their Emotional Expression: Can They Cry?
Can autistic individuals cry? The answer is a resounding yes. Although emotional responses may vary widely among individuals, regardless of being autistic or neurotypical, the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions is present in all humans, including those on the autism spectrum.
Emotional Expression in Autistic Individuals
Emotional responses, including crying, vary from person to person, and this is no different for autistic individuals. While some may express their emotions differently or may have difficulty identifying or communicating their feelings, they are still capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions, including sadness, frustration, and joy. The way these emotions are expressed can differ, but the capacity for emotional experience is inherent.
Real-Life Experiences
Anonymous: I cried today. I've seen other autistic people cry. Wild how a human behavior exists in humans.
Autistic people can indeed cry. Emotional responses, including crying, vary from person to person, regardless of whether they are autistic or neurotypical. While some autistic individuals may express their emotions differently or may have difficulty identifying or communicating their feelings, they still have the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions, including sadness, frustration, and joy, leading to crying.
Personal Insights from an Autistic Individual
Autistic Individual: Um… yes, I’m autistic, and I cry literally all the time. While some of us might have different reactions to emotions, we still have emotions. Anger, anxiety, sadness, and even just looking at somebody else cry brings me to tears. Meanwhile, I have a friend who is autistic who I've never seen cry, and my non-autistic sister also pretty much never cries. We are people, and naturally, have different reactions to emotions like every other human in the world.
Confusion and Analysis
It’s not uncommon for autistic individuals to feel confused about why or for what reasons they cry. For example:
Anonymous: I remember some weeks ago, I was just thinking about my friends but then came to one of my childhood friends that I had grown to develop feelings for but eventually left the school I went to because their parents made them. After a couple of minutes of thinking, my mind started to just think of that friend, and suddenly, I noticed tears running down my cheeks, and I felt a bit confused about why. Fortunately, I managed to calm down after a bit and analyze what I was feeling but still feel a bit confused by how or why it even happened at that time.
Challenges in Emotional Expression
Emotional expression can be a challenge for some autistic individuals. Some may struggle to cry, even when they are sad:
Autistic Individual: I think if anything, autistic people cry more than NT people. At least I feel like I cry more than most people I know.
Indeed, some autistic individuals may struggle to cry, no matter how sad they are. In my case, I really do struggle to cry. No matter how sad I am, I can’t seem to push myself to cry to let the emotion out. I rarely ever am able to cry, but when I do, I feel better. I wish I could cry when I get sad. I don’t want my autism to be cured, which is impossible anyway, but there are a few traits I experience that I would rather not deal with, and this is one of them.
Conclusion
Emotional expression varies from person to person, and autistic individuals are no exception. While some may struggle with crying or expressing certain emotions, the capacity for emotional experience is universal. It is important to recognize and understand the diverse ways in which individuals, including those on the autism spectrum, express their emotions.